Vashon’s cross-country teams showed 10 less free-spirited teams how to celebrate after combined Emerald City and Nisqually League races last week by jumping into and swimming in Lake Washington at Magnuson Park in Seattle.
Nearly all Pirate and Mustang runners set personal bests on Tuesday, Sept. 22 when they took on the relatively easy course where Vashon was, once again, the only public school competing.
The women’s team took third place, beating all other Nisqually League teams, and the men’s team finished ahead of Seattle Christian for ninth place.
The women’s team was led over the three-mile-long course by freshman Lucy Boyle who came in at 21:05, followed by juniors Selena Mildon (21:33), Eva Anderson (21:52) and Aria Mildon (21:59).
The top seven Pirates were rounded out by junior Jane Oswald (22:58), freshman Clara Atwell (23:12) and senior Taryn Mulvihill (23:31). In cross-country, the top seven runners from each team have scoring potential.
The men’s team was led by sophomore Gianno Waller, who came in at 18:21, followed closely by junior Isaac Hughes (18:35) and sophomore Hunter Justis (18:40). Senior Gabri Oliera, an exchange student from Italy, found that he could fly down hills as he used his fleet descending skills to come in at a time of 20:03.
The Pirate top seven was also filled by sophomore Sam Plauche (20:29) and Theo Hu (20:34). The Pirates’ seventh man, junior Adam Kraabel, lowered his personal best to 21:22, continuing his impressive decrease in finishing time.
McMurray Middle School was represented by eighth-grader Cole Parks, who ran the 1.5 mile course in 10:33 to finish 13th out of a field of 85 runners, setting a new personal best and the fastest time in that distance for the Mustangs since 2010.
The next venue for the islanders to show their unique personalities is at Curtis High School’s invitational at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. Twenty-nine schools will race at Titlow Park in Tacoma.
The men’s junior varsity race begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by the women at 10 a.m. Varsity men will race at 10:45 a.m. and varsity women at 11:15 a.m.
— Bruce Cyra is an island runner.
